


Please, know that I'm yours to keep.

by heath_bar17



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-30
Updated: 2019-08-02
Packaged: 2020-07-25 23:19:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20033998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heath_bar17/pseuds/heath_bar17
Summary: Kelley thinks she has it figured out as she enters her junior year in college. But then the new freshman on her team walks into preseason and Kelley is left unsure of many things except for her need to get to know her younger teammate.College AUSupposed to be an anonymous one-shot from Tumblr that tumbled into a bigger story (I love puns).





	1. Summer Daze

**Author's Note:**

> Guess who's back avoiding another project that I'm blocked on and writing a new story?! ME! This one is going to be shorter and I actually have most of the plot mapped out but if I feel so inclined, it might end up slightly longer. 
> 
> Yes, I might have slipped in a title from my first fanfiction in there...anyway, be kind and take a quick read :)

An air of excitement, usually accompanied by the first day of preseason, hangs in the air. It is not that Kelley isn’t excited, it just that preseason is not exactly the most fun. There are two-a-days, fitness tests, meetings, and everyone is over the top about classes that haven’t even started yet. 

Alex nudges Kelley’s ribs to get her attention.

“What?” Kelley harshly whispers, clearly annoyed at being pulled away from the game on her phone. 

“Fresh meat,” Alex whispers. Kelley looks at her with confusion. “Ugh, worm. Where is your head today? The freshmen just came out of their compliance meeting.”

Kelley looks up at the four girls approaching their group in the field house. All of the upperclassmen were waiting in the lobby chatting away about their summer. Some began to quiet down as they saw the newbies approach. Kelley recognizes two of the four from their weekend recruitment trips last year. The other two must have come to visit when Kelley wasn’t here because she would have remembered the lean, blonde walking her way with a goofy grin on her face. Kelley can’t seem to pull her eyes away as the blonde starts greeting her fellow teammates.

Suddenly, all eyes are on Kelley and she can feel her cheeks heat. Was she caught staring?! Kelley looks around confused, “What?”

“O’Hara?” Kelley turns to the voice and is shocked to find her head coach standing there. Where did he come from? “Glad to see you could join us. I hope you didn't check out that much during summer training.”

The team laughs collectively and Kelley can feel her body reflexively follow suite. That was good, right? They all thought she was just in an end of summer daze.

Alex leans over to ask Kelley, “What just happened there?” Kelley doesn’t glance over because she knows the blush on her cheeks has now reached the back of her neck. “Did one of the freshmen catch your eye?” Alex giggles to herself before her lips curve into a mischievous grin. “Oh my god. You are something else. Don’t think I’m dropping this.” Alex turns her attention back to their coach.

“So for those of you who do not know the freshmen, I have instructed your captains to carry out some bonding activities. Please make sure you all welcome Rose, Sam, Emily, and Lindsey.” The coach said before he continues with all of the typical first days of preseason instructions.

Kelley’s mind starts to wander and she has to remind herself on several occasions to keep her eyes from wandering to where the freshmen are sitting.

“Alright!” Her coach claps his hands together. “I know I have bored you all with NCAA regulations and believe me this is the worst part of my job. So with that, I’m going to head out and I’ll let the captains do their thing. Remember, fitness testing tomorrow at 6:30 am to beat the heat, followed by a run-through of the conditioning plan for the season, and then a late afternoon session.” No one dares to groan because this is what they signed up for and one of the reasons they had four national titles in the last ten years.

As coach begins to walk away from the group, Becky stands up and so does Alex. “For those who are new, I’m Becky. I’m in my senior year, center back, and I’ll also be one of your captains.” She rolls up one of her sleeves that had fallen down to fix her usual make-shift tank top.

Alex’s hoarse voice follows Becky’s introduction as she turns her attention towards the freshmen, “I’m Alex. I’m a junior. I’m a forwards and also your captain. Becky and I have been thinking of different ways of focusing on team bonding. Tonight, we were just thinking of grabbing frozen yogurt and tomorrow, depending on how we all feel, we could get…”

“Nachos!” Kelley yells before she can stop herself. Alex and her teammates laugh at her outburst while Becky smiles and rolls her eyes.

“Glad to see the idea of nachos got you out of your summer daze,” Becky said. “Anyway, why don’t we go around with introductions and then Alex and I can take the freshmen for a tour of the dining hall and temporary dorms you guys will be housed in.”

Julie jumps up first to introduce herself, her year, and the position she plays. Crystal follows and they make their way down the line to Kelley.

“I’m Kelley! I’m a junior. I’m a forward but I sometimes play right back. Where ever I’m needed, I’m versatile like that.” Kelley winks at everyone. Some groan at Kelley’s obvious innuendo and other snicker. As her teammates continue their introductions, Kelley can feel a set of eyes on her. She allows herself to give a quick glance over towards the freshmen and finds the pretty blonde looking her way. Instead of glancing away quickly knowing she had been caught, the girl gives Kelley a small smile and turns her attention back to Rapinoe’s introduction.

Kelley’s zones out after that but her attention comes back in full force when the freshmen begin their introductions.

“I’m Emily.” Kelley is pleasantly surprised to hear her voice was more baritone than she expected. “I’m a freshman and I’ve typically played center back.” She smiles sheepishly towards Becky before sitting back down. Kelley decides right then and there, that she needs to find out more about Emily. She almost feels bad that she tuned out the last of the freshmen introductions. Almost. Kelley didn’t realize she was staring at Emily again until she heard the rustling of movement around her. Most of the girls were saying temporary goodbyes until they met up again for dinner in the dining hall.

An idea pops into Kelley’s head and she decides to run with it. She walks up next to Alex and Becky, who are giving the freshmen a rundown of the next few days. Alex senses her and stops talking. “Worm, you good?”

Kelley smiles innocently, “Just peachy.”

After waiting for Kelley to give more of an explanation, Alex gives her a ‘what the hell’ expression.

“Oh Janice, did you forget you’re my ride? How am I supposed to get back to the house?” Kelley smiles at Alex and then to the other five in the group.

“Tobs or Press could have?” Alex suggests.

“They ran out of here when I wasn’t paying attention,” Kelley states matter of fact.

Alex sighs, “And what about the bus?”

“What about no?” Kelley retorts.

“A nice long walk back?” Alex quips.

Kelley smirks, “Are you trying to get my legs tired before the 3 mile run tomorrow?”

Alex studies Kelley’s face and looks as if an idea pops into her head. She glances at the freshmen and then back at Kelley with a knowing smirk. “Fine Kel. Is it okay with you if Kelley tags along?” Alex asks Becky.

“I’m shocked she hasn’t already offered to lead the tour.” Becky shrugs and playfully shoves Kelley’s shoulder.

“Is it cool with you guys if I tag along?” Kelley turns her attention towards the freshmen. Sam, Rose, and Lindsey all nod their head in agreement. Kelley makes direct eye contact with Emily, noticing how light her eyes are up close, and quirks one eyebrow eye in question. Emily gives a small smirk and lightly nods her head without breaking eye contact.

Becky offers to drive the four freshmen up to the dining all on the main campus. As they walk out, Alex pulls on Kelley’s shirt to slow her down.

“You little shit,” Alex says.

Kelley mocks innocence. “Me? What have I done? It’s not my fault all of my roommates attempted to abandon me on south campus with no way back up.”

“It’s the cute blonde, isn’t it?” Alex slightly tips her head in Emily’s direction.

Kelley hopes the heat of mid-August will hide the blush on her cheeks. Why was she blushing so much? She never did this around other girls. She was typically cool, calm, and collected.

“Ah ha! Knew it!” Alex whispers. Her face lights up and she gives Kelley a wink. Kelley’s stomach drops, Alex is up to something. “Becky! We are room for someone so you all don’t have to cramp in. Emily, want to join us?” Emily was at the tail end of the group and turns to get approval fr


	2. Femmes and Football Players

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might have pulled some memories from my undergrad during this chapter. Let me know what you guys think and if you really want to see certain things happen!
> 
> Sorry for the typos and grammar mistakes!

Kelley’s eyes widen as Emily approaches. She almost shot Alex a death glare but her attention shifted solely on Emily as a light wind blew. Her long, blonde hair cascades behind her and the wind causes her shirt to cling to her stomach where Kelley can nearly make out each individual ab.

“Might want to close your mouth and thank me later,” Alex whispers into Kelley’s ear, pulling away from the amazing sight before her. Kelley would have given a sarcastic response but her throat felt suddenly dry.

Kelley gets into the car and begins to grow angry with herself. Sure, Emily was beautiful but she should not be having this sort of reaction to her. Kelley didn’t know anything about her which should negate the odd pulling sensation she felt towards Emily, yet she couldn’t fight it. You need to chill, she tells herself. As she scolds herself for her response towards Emily, she didn’t realize Alex and Emily were looking at her expectantly. Why does this keep happening today?!

“Yeah?” Kelley asks in a borderline rude tone. She shakes her head to reset her negative thoughts, it wasn’t Emily’s fault she was losing her shit. “Sorry, what’s up? I really have been zoning out today.”

“Er, I was asking where you’re from?” Emily asks in an uncertain voice. Emily buckles up in the back seat and eyes Alex for reassurance.

Kelley puts on a smile that contradicts her nerves and then replies, “Oh! Georgia.”

“Me too! From Marietta.” Emily says, excitedly.

“We must only be an hour away from each other. Now I can have a car buddy to drive home with during breaks!” The words hung there as Kelley bit her lip at her over-eagerness.

A smile spread over Emily’s lips, “Deal!”

Kelley looks over at Alex and can see the satisfied smile she is trying to hide. Alex picks up the conversation, playing the role of a welcoming captain. Only a few minutes later, they find a parking spot in the lot next to the dining and residence hall. Becky and the other three freshmen are waiting outside Becky’s car when they pull in. They quickly hop out and join the group. Alex and Becky begin a mini-tour of the area of campus that the freshmen will most likely use during their preseason. Kelley lags in the back of the pack, strolling along as she takes in the campus she calls her home. Emily slows down subtly on a turn, leaving her towards the back next to Kelley. Kelley isn’t sure if it was on purpose or not but she can’t deny the little surge of excitement she feels at the new company.

“I give better tours.” Kelley states.

Emily turns to her, “I’m sorry?”

Kelley takes a small diagonal step closer to Emily, “I can give a much better tour. They’re telling you guys all the boring stuff like where the library is and when time the dining halls are open.”

Emily tilts her head, amused, “And this is not important because...?”

“Well don’t get me wrong, I’m engineering so I spend more than my fair share of time in the library. But you should hear about where the corner preacher stands, which house parties to avoid, or which section of the library tends to have other activities than studying going on.” Kelley says.

“Okay, I have so many questions about the things you just said but I’m a little scared to ask.” Emily laughs lightly.

Kelley takes her shot, “Maybe one of the days during preseason, I can actually show you the cool spots on campus.” Emily simply nods her head, smiles, and turns back to listen to Alex and Becky. Kelley isn’t sure if Emily picked up on her flirting attempt or thought she was just being a friendly teammate. After a quick deliberation, Kelley decides either would work for now. But why is it so hard to figure out if a girl is into girls? Kelley lets out an inaudible sigh and continues to walk along the tour as she gets lost in thoughts of her flawed gaydar.

The thing about 6:30 practice is that once you are at the practice field, you’re awake. It’s just the feeling of absolute fatigue that hits around 10 am that make it so hard. Kelley decides then and there that she will be taking an afternoon nap before their other sessions.

“For many of you, the fitness test is a series of exercises that assess multiple aspects of muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, and speed. Last year, the coaching staff and I decided to forego the beep test and assess your speed and endurance with a 3-mile run and shuttle runs down the field.” Coach pauses and looks around at his players. Some of the freshmen share looks of concern, many were used to the traditional approaches.

“After some short warm-ups, we will proceed to run the farm loop which is just shy of a 5k. From there I’ll be kind enough to give everyone a short break before we continue on with our testing. Right then. Two laps around the parameter and then some dynamic stretching. Captains, go ahead.” Coach steps aside to allow Becky and Alex to take the lead.

Kelley settles into the middle to the pack and allows herself to check in with the way her muscles in her legs and lungs feel in the overly humid morning air. The blonde hair catches her eye and she glances over to see Emily cruising along with her.

“You ready?” Kelley asks.

Emily grins, “Yeah, I’m a little nervous but I’ve been training all summer for this because I heard a rumor he might do this.”

“Well if you’re feeling speedy, feel free to keep pace with me.” Kelley smiles. They lock eyes for a few seconds but the giggles and whispers pull their eye contact apart. The team is almost done with their second lap as some of the football players trickle out of the field house and make their way towards their practice turf. Kelley rolls her eyes at her other teammates practically making heart eyes at the players. Julie is the only one who can get a free pass because she is actually dating one of them. Kelley takes a moment to see if Emily is mirroring some of her teammate's reactions to the football players but she seems completely unfazed. Hmm, Kelley thinks, that might be a good sign.

The team falls into silence as they focus and run through their drills. The beads of sweat are already running down Kelley’s back when they huddle back up to listen to Coach’s further instructions.

“I talked with Coach Storm and she agreed to let her cross country team pace our team for this run. This is a kind reminder that they are pacing you for their modified morning tempo, so do not go out expecting to beat them. They will set the pace at 6:15 per mile for those who feel like they can show off but they have been told to alter their pace based on your excursion. I’ll give you all five more minutes to run to the bathroom, stretch out, or do whatever you need before we begin.” Coach says and walks towards the field house door where Coach Storm is waiting.

Alyssa, their starting goalkeeper suddenly perks up. A mere minute ago, Alyssa looked as though she was going to throw up at the idea of running that long and now she’s grinning from ear to ear. Kelley nods towards her, “Did that just make your morning?”

Alyssa gives Kelley a serious look but can’t fight the smile, “Maybe.”

A group of eighteen girls in sports bras and tight running shorts approach at a much more graceful running gate compared to their two warm-up laps. Emily raises an eyebrow at Alyssa making a beeline for one of the tall, brunette runners.

Kelley answers her unspoken question. “It’s Alyssa’s girlfriend, Olivia. I have a feeling Alyssa might be more motivated with the view but mainly due to the fact she never wants to lose to her girlfriend in anything sports-related.” Emily laughs and eyes the other team that has come to help push them this morning. Kelley wonders for a second if Emily’s eyes linger longer on girls than the football players and decide for a second time this morning that she is reading too much into it.

“That’s what Alyssa’s girlfriend looks like? Hm.” Emily says casually.

Kelley’s interest peaks, “Why? Because she is so feminine?” She’s not sure why she asked that maybe just to see a reaction from Emily.

Emily shrugs, “No, I just meant I pictured Alyssa’s girlfriend to be shorter than her because she is already so tall.” Kelley pauses, unsure of how to interpret such a neutral answer. “I mean femme girls can be a little harder to identify but that can sometimes be a more fun challenge.”

“Wait, what?” Kelley asks in surprise. Emily simply laughs as she walks towards the start line, not glancing over her shoulder. But there Kelley stood, completely frozen, unsure of what just happened in the span of thirty seconds. 


	3. Gravity Checks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS! Aren't you slightly proud of me for posting chapters this frequently? Well...I am. For those who have followed my other stories you already know I can be a little spotty but I'm trying to be on my best writing behavior. With that being said, the fact that I'm having a faster turn around means I tend to have more spelling and grammar mistakes so please overlook that. 
> 
> Anyways...thank you for pretending to care about the notes I write before a chapter.

_“Wait, what?” Kelley asks in surprise. Emily simply laughs as she walks towards the start line, not glancing over her shoulder. But there Kelley stood, completely frozen, unsure of what just happened in the span of thirty seconds. _

Alex walks up behind Kelley, causing her to pull her eyes away from Emily. “Kel, if I have to keep reminding you to close your mouth when you stare at the new freshie, this is going to be one interesting season.”

“Pshh…what, I was just in the zone getting ready to crush this run.” Kelley laughs awkwardly.

“And I’m supposed to believe that, how? You’ve got it bad.” Alex rubs her hands together with a mischievous smile. “This is going to be so fun.”

Kelley looks over in exaggerated disbelief. “Do not!”

“Sure, whatever. Do you know if she bats for your team?” Alex asks.

Kelley and Alex look over at Emily. She was talking to a Haley, a girl on the cross country team, both girls were all smiles. They could have been flirting by the looks of it and the simple possibility creates a sour taste in Kelley’s mouth. Kelley rolls her eyes at herself for even having any reaction.

“I don’t know.” Kelley plays off. “But it’s not like it matters.”

“As I said before…sure, whatever.” Alex gives Kelley a mocking look. “Well if she does go that way, you better make a move soon because you might not be the only one interested.” Alex nods her head in the direction where Haley had her hand on Emily’s arm, laughing at something Emily was saying.

Kelley rolls her shoulders and tilts her head, a mix of emotions flowing through her. Annoyance. Confusion. Intrigue. Excitement. “I’m here for soccer.” 

Kelley begins to walk towards the starting line, trying to settle her thoughts. As she approaches, Kelley and Emily make eye contact. Emily gives her a smile as she shifts her attention to Kelley and away from Haley.

“Look who it is,” Haley says. Haley and Kelley reach out a give each other the handshake they created last year. Kelley gives Haley a genuine smile, she really did like Haley. It wasn’t Haley’s fault they were both intrigued by the same girl.

“Dude, how was your summer?” Kelley asks. 

Haley shrugs, “You know, the usual. A lot of high mileage training and beach trips. There might have been some surfing thrown in there but don’t tell my coach. You?”

“I had to turn down an internship because of my training so I just worked at the library. Oh, I was in Texas for a training camp and I had a game in Spain which was pretty dope.” Kelley says casually. It wasn’t that she meant to downplay it, but traveling for the U-20 and now the U-23 national team had just become something she was used to. She looks over at Emily who did not seem super surprised to hear that she was in Spain.

“Sweet.” Haley high-fives her. She turns to Emily and offers, “I’d be more than happy to pace you if you want.”

Emily looks at Haley and smile before she glances at Kelley.

“I already challenged her to keep up with me.” Kelley tries to keep the small challenge out of her voice because she knows she is being ridiculous.

Haley looks at Kelley and smiles knowingly. “Alright, fair enough. Just holler if you need me.”

As Haley walks away, Kelley smiles sheepishly at Emily. She knew she overstepped, for all she knew, Emily might have been into Haley or maybe not into women at all.

“Well then,” Emily smirks and raises her eyebrows.

Kelley nervously laughs and wipes her sweaty hands on her shorts. “Right. Ha! So how about that run? Shall we?”

Emily smiles widely, “Absolutely.” Their entire team gets ready at the arbitrary staring line on the gravel road. Right before they start Emily leans in and whispers, “By the way, did I mention I made the state meet in the mile and two-mile, three of my four years in high school.”

Kelley just stares at her, “Why do you keep saying surprising things randomly when I can’t respond.”

Emily winks and their coach blows his whistle to indicate the start. Some of their teammates take off but Kelley knows better. She usually allows the first half mile to get her body adjusted and get fully warmed up. Emily seems to have the same idea and cruises along next to her. By the mile marker, Emily and Kelley are running stride and stride together. The only person ahead of them is the captain of the cross country team who was told to act as the rabbit, setting a slightly faster than normal pace.

“You good?” Kelley inquires.

“Yeah, it’s like muscle memory,” Emily responds in a breathy voice. Both girls are at the threshold between being able to respond in a complete sentence or simple one-word answers. Kelley looks around at the farm fields surrounding them. The fields are used by the agriculture college with one side of the road lined with plants for produce and the other side with cows. They pass the second mile and Kelley glances down at her watch, 12:45. Nice, they are running a sub 6:25 mile pace. Emily appears at ease with only a small sign of discomfort on her face. Kelley was too busy checking in on what Emily looks like when she completely overlooks the large rock in the road. Her left foot gets caught at the base of the rock and she falls forward. Kelley’s dad taught her how to fall properly, thankfully, and she tucks her arms in and rolls on her side. She completes four full rolls and hops up quickly.

Emily is immediately at her side, with a hand on both of her shoulders checking for any injuries.

“Are you okay?!” Emily looks at her with worry, her breathing heavy for their efforts.

Kelley flexes her arms and legs to make sure there isn’t any sharp pain in her muscles and joints. “Yeah, I just have some gravel in places there shouldn’t be.” Kelley responds as she adjusts her shorts. They make eye contact and the worry in Emily’s eyes is quickly replaced with amusement. Both girls start laughing so hard, they nearly keel over.

Emily peeks behind them for any approaching teammates. Despite the fall, their nearest teammate is still a little under a quarter mile behind them. “Are you going to be okay to finish? We only have a third of a mile left.

Kelley nods her head, “Let’s do this!”

The last bit of the run flies by and Kelley wasn’t sure if it was partly due to the smiles she gets from Emily every time she glanced her way. As they cross the ‘finish line’ where coach is standing, he yells “20:10. Solid!” Coach pauses to examine them. “O’Hara, what the hell happened to you?”

Kelley looks down at the dirt covering her limbs, clinging to her sweat. “I did a random gravity check. It still works.” Emily can’t hold in the laughter that spills out of her.

“O’Hara, go clean up and make sure you don’t need to visit the trainers before we continue with the fitness test. Sonnett, keep an eye on her.” He nods his head in the direction of the field house.

Emily and Kelley grab their water bottles and then proceed to walk to the field house in silence. “So, do you do gravity checks often?”

Kelley smiles, “Not all the time. Although it seems like I do during games. I usually encounter a tackle that results in a bit of a fall every game.”

“That would explain your resiliency to the fall. Kind of impressive if you ask me. Could you hold this for me?” Emily hands Kelley her water bottle. She grabs her hair tie and pulls it swiftly out of her hair. As Emily tilts her head back to redo her ponytail, Kelley takes her time watching the action. How was she even attractive doing an everyday task?! Kelley wants to growl in frustration at the distracting girl next to her.

Emily pulls the hair tie into its last twist before securing her hair, “Kel! Watch out!” Emily grabs Kelley’s arm and pulls her flush against her to avoid the door Kelley nearly walks into. Kelley’s heart rate starts to pick up again just as it had calmed down from the run.

“Um, thanks,” Kelley says and looks down at their closeness.

“No problem.” Emily has the start of a blush creeping up her face or maybe it was the heat.

In the process, Kelley didn’t realize she dropped both of their water bottles. She reaches for both of them and hands Emily her bottle. “I swear I’m not usually this clumsy.”

“It’s cute.” Emily takes her bottle from Kelley and they continue their walk to the locker room.

Kelley swings her head to the side and gives Emily a lopsided smile. “Interesting.”


	4. Kissing Arches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this story feels so much different than the other ones I have written that it is almost throwing me out of whack! For those who care, I'm going to try and write a chapter for my other story tonight. 
> 
> If anyone goes to the University I went to, you're gonna know by the end of the chapter (on the east coast).
> 
> I'm going to the beach this weekend so I wanted to provide a chapter since I will likely not update in the next two days!

“There you are.” Kelley smiles up at Emily. Emily sat along the brick half wall in the front of their library. She places the book in her lap and Kelley tries her best not to notice how the simple motion causes Emily’s lean arms to flex. 

A small smile spreads over Emily’s face. “You were looking for me?”

“I mean only because the other girls are being super boring and taking naps before dinner,” Kelley responds.

“Yes, only because of that.” Emily nods her head with a resolute expression that only lasts for a few seconds before she slips into a grin. “So why were you looking for me?”

At the moment, Kelley couldn’t exactly say the real reason. She was craving time with Emily like her sanity depended on it. So instead, Kelley pivots and asks, “What are you reading?”

“ _ Mansfield Park _ .” Emily glances down at the well-loved book.

Kelley nods her head thoughtfully, “Jane Austen. What’s your favorite of hers?”

“That’s actually why I am rereading her books. I couldn’t remember which one I liked best. But as of right now, I’d have to say  _ Sense and Sensibility _ .” 

“I’m a _ Persuasion _ kind of girl myself but I like  _ Sense and Sensibility.  _ What about it?” Kelley asks.

“What about what?” Emily follows up.

“What about  _ Sense and Sensibility  _ do you like so much? The idea of thinking with your heart of head?” Kelley questions with intrigue. 

Emily leans back against the outside wall of the library and crosses her legs on the half wall. After some contemplation, Emily answers, “There are quite a few things. But I like how it made me think about how your feelings about finding a relationship with long term happiness can change as you get older. Like finding the passion doesn’t mean you are finding the right person.”

“Wow.” Kelley is actually at a loss for words.

Emily grimaces, “Sorry, was that too much? I mean we don’t really know each other and I just said that.”

Kelley gives Emily a sincere smile, “Oh no, it’s not that. It’s just funny how much of what you said resonates with me.”

Emily pauses, unsure if she even has the right to ask for Kelley to expand on her comment.

“How about that tour?” Kelley offers before Emily has a chance to figure out how to proceed. 

Emily swiftly hops off the half wall, “I thought you’d never ask. Lead the way!” She follows Kelley down the stairs to the open green lawn in front of the library. Emily nearly runs into Kelley when she abruptly stops and turns around to face her.

“Wait. What is your major? Because as much as I would love to show you the fun parts of campus, it might actually be helpful if I showed you where your classes are.” Kelley slips her hands into the pockets of her shorts to avoid fidgeting with them. 

“Sociology.” Emily states.

“Sweet. Okay, we actually get to stay on the green because most of your major-related classes will be on central or east campus!” Kelley begins to walk along the brick walkway. A comfortable silence falls between them as they take in the quiet campus. “I love campus right now. It’s so peaceful. Don’t get me wrong, I love having everyone back and all the fun that accompanies it but there is just something about the quiet that seems so simplistic. Then again, I’m sure you’d love having more people here since you are legitimately going to study social behavior.” Kelley bites her lip to keep from rambling anymore. 

Emily’s eyes flicker down to action and she clears her throat before she responds. “Yes and no. I like having people around but not all the time. I guess you could call me an extroverted introvert. Hanging out with people and being surrounded by them is fun but it does drain me. I guess that’s why I read so much, it’s my way of recharging by myself.”

They keep walking and Kelley points out one of the buildings Emily will have class this semester. “So speaking of which, about what you said earlier...what do you think will lead to long term happiness?”

“In…?” Emily plays innocent and Kelley rolls her eyes. “Fine. I guess I think it is a blend. Passion is important but it can’t be blind passion. Because sometimes flames that burn so brightly in the beginning fizzle just as fast as they are ignited. They could just as quickly move onto another person.” Emily gives a pained smile. “I think it’s the blend of being with your best friend and wanting to rip their clothes off.” They both chuckle at her last comment. 

“I like that. I think I’d say I have to agree. But have you been burned before? If you don’t mind me asking.” Kelley’s heart races as she asks the question. 

Emily kicks at a loose pebble on the brick path and pauses long enough that Kelley thinks she isn’t going to answer. “Yes. They were abruptly there in my life and I was just figuring out who I was as a person. They were all the sudden taking me on dates, I was sneaking out to see them, and then I saw them with another girl right as I began to think I was falling for them. I felt like a notch in their belt. I read  _ Sense and Sensibility  _ shortly after and felt like it spoke to me. Even though the situations are slightly different. From there, I altered my view that passion is not the only thing I should be looking for in a relationship. I want them there when I am sick, when I am annoying them, when my time is taken up with soccer. The long haul. You know?”

Kelley nods her head, the gender-neutral pronouns were not lost on here so she followed suit. “I do. In my past, I have never really met or been with a person that made me feel like I could really be with them for the long haul. I’ve dated around which my friends will joke about but none of them had made me feel that feeling where you feel absolutely comfortable but also cause your heart to race.” She was actually quite surprised she was revealing all of this to Emily. Alex was the only one who really knew she hated that people thought she was some sort of player. In reality, she would go on one or two dates with a girl before she decided it wasn’t going to work and she made it very clear that she didn’t feel the spark. 

Kelley had been looking at her shoes when she looks up to find Emily studying her. “What?” Kelley could feel the blush forming. “Urgh, this all makes sense now.”

“What does?” Emily looks completely lost.

“I always feel like you’re studying me when you look at me like you’re trying to see who I am. But it makes sense because you’re studying sociology so you like to study what people do and all that.” Kelley chuckles at her own assumptions she made the past few days. Emily wasn’t checking her out, she was just trying to get a read of who she was.

“Huh?” Emily looks even more confused than before, then it looks as if a light bulb goes off in her head. “You think I’ve been looking at you like you’re some sort of subject in study?!” Emily was sure at this point that Kelley was oblivious.

“Yes?” Kelley wasn’t sure how to proceed. Then she looks up to see where they had nearly come to a stop during their walk. “The kiss arches.” 

Emily comes to a complete stop and turns her full attention to Kelley. “What?” For the first time in all of their interactions, Kelley notices that Emily looks flustered and borderline nervous.

“These arches used to be the split between the men's and women’s college. We were just on the women’s side and are about to enter the old men’s college section of campus. At curfew, the guys would walk their girlfriends to the archways and kiss them goodnight. A lot of couples who met on campus will take engagement photos here. Supposedly, the person you kiss here is the person you will be with forever.” Kelley rattles off the story she had heard thousand times over but this rendition feels drastically different. She takes a minute to look up and notice they are standing directly under the arch. Kelley blurts out, “But I guess they didn’t factor in lesbians then.”

Emily tilts her head and eyes Kelley. A slow smile spread over her lips, “Is that so?”

“Uh...ye..yeah.” Kelley feels her hands clam up. She takes a step back and another in hopes that the distance between them will help clear her head so she doesn’t try and kiss Emily. But her back is now against the arch and Emily steps closer, keeping the distance between them consistent despite Kelley’s retreating. 

Emily looks down at Kelley’s lips and she lets go of the bottom lips she hadn’t realized she was biting. Was Emily going to kiss her?

_   
_

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave a comment or click on the kudos button! Check me out on tumblr: heathbar17


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